Guest Frank Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wickidweasel Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 (edited) Sorry i cant see whats wrong with compliments Edited to add the W's Edited July 16, 2006 by wickidweasel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nightwalker Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 (edited) Sorry i cant see whats wrong with compliments Edited to add the W's You never read anything other than compliments posted in respose to pictures of dogs no matter how hideous the dog and no matter what obvious faults it has. Why bother saying anything at all if it's not acceptable to say ' that looks too slow to catch cold' or 'that looks weak' or that's got terrible feet' or ' 'I always put down any white dogs I get in a litter'etc,? This is particularly the case with the fashionable bull x - personally I loathe seeing heavy cloddy longdogs with bucket heads, there's nothing more elegant than a well proportioned longdog but most of the dogs attracting the useless ''good strong dogs' comments are just plain ugly - so lets stop pretending and knock it on the head. I agree that handsome is as handsome does but if people post pictures of dogs here shouldnt we be more honest? Edited July 19, 2006 by Nightwalker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Simoman 110 Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Yes we should be more honest. Interesting post......... :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :11: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Perhaps those people actually find the cloddy, bucket headed dogs handsome, i know i do. After all beauty is in the eyes of the beholder Your obvious hatred for bull's is getting a tad worrying MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wickidweasel Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Im one of the first to take the piss but i wouldnt put down someones dog just because i dont like it simply dont comment if its not your thing afterall the dog may look like a donkeys arse but it could still be the guys pride n joy. Although i would agree that people shouldnt post its nice if they dont think so Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nightwalker Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Perhaps those people actually find the cloddy, bucket headed dogs handsome, i know i do. After all beauty is in the eyes of the beholder Your obvious hatred for bull's is getting a tad worrying MOLL. It's not hatred of bull crosses, as you know, I have tried them and not liked them. I dont much like their looks but my main issues is fashion - like the plummer-hyped collie x of 20 years ago they are over-sold at the moment and todays newcomers need to learn about their limitations. I have killed all game from rats to red deer with longdogs and I have also worked longdogs in the USA and I know from experience that a big head contributes nothing at all to a dogs working ability - except to the illegal and moronic baiting of a quarry which has been banned for more than 20 years and which a fast man can overhaul, let alone even the slowest of longdogs. I have seen whippets with their narrow heads kill fox and greyhounds with narrow heads kill 200lb+ deer, while I would never recommend using whippets on fox it does make the point that a dog with a normal greyhound type head is plenty strong enough and interestingly borzoi have a particularly narrow head while remaining capable of killing very large predators. Why not aim to breed something that is both highly functional and classically beautiful? The issue of feedback on conformation does matter. I grew up in the cotswolds running fast dogs on fields full of stones and learned early about the importance of good feet. I regularly see 'nice dog' comments attached to pictures of dogs posted here which have bad feet, to dogs with shallow chests, to dogs with short backs, to narrow dogs with 'both legs coming out of the same hole' etc etc. These are real faults which affect working ability, dogs health and longevity. Many of these dogs will have serious faults like restricted heart and lung capacity. If we dont give honest feedback but only post 'nice dog' comments how are newbies going to learn? Thirty years experience with longdogs of all types has taught me that conformation really does make a difference and that we should strive to achieve dogs with good conformation because in doing this we are likley to maximise their working ability, injury resistance and longevity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 But you do seem to 'put down' the bull x at every opportunity. I completely agree with most of your post. I squirm when i see 'working' dogs posted on here who havent had a decent walk by the look of their definition, nail length and fitness. I just dont agree with your comments about.... This is particularly the case with the fashionable bull x - personally I loathe seeing heavy cloddy longdogs with bucket heads As far as i am aware, very few of the bull x have massive bucket heads and are very heavy or cloddy. They do have a larger head certainly, but as i said beauty is in the eye...etc. So you cannot put people down for saying they think something is beautifull because they happen to like a heavier, bigger headed dog...as long as it does the job the owner requires, i cannot see what the problem is Ive seen heavier collie x's.Ive often wondered myself at the "lovely big head on that" comment, i just presumed they meant it will have the stronger bull jaw? The rest of the faults listed are prone in any breed not just bull's or are you meaning lurchers in general? Im sure there are some whippets who will take fox, but the majority of bulls will and will do a quicker more efficient job of dispatching larger prey than a whippet. If you breed a litter of whippets for fox work, perhaps 10-30% will be good for fox, however a litter of bulls the % would be much higher...therefore the reason why the x exists, if it was just a fashion it would have died out long ago and be replaced by other fads, like the ridgeback, husky or whatever. I personally have known about the bull lurcher for at least 10yrs, and even the mini skirt was'nt in fashion that long I will always be a fan of the bull x and champion them as a breed, not only for working abilty but for their personalities and intelligence, and as a 2nd to none companion in the home. MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nightwalker Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 I'm not out to put down bull crosses simply to illustrate their limitations in the face of massive fashion and hype, particularly when I often read posts from people thinking of buying them for pretty unsuitable reasons. My comments were very much about all types of lurcher, I dont know why you are so prickly about bull crosses. I agree that some collie x dogs have big ugly heads and I also hate seeing that and I hate pointer / alsation or whatever else heads on a longdog. I used the whippet example purely to illustrate the point that there is no functional need for a big ugly head on a longdog. Most types of lurcher will kill foxes - they arent very big after all and cant do any real damage to a dog of any size. The best fox killer I have seen was a 27" smooth brindle 3/4 grey / 1/4 collie dog who killed large numbers of foxes - often catching several in an evening including off the beam and did it all single handed and without any aids like a subaru! What do you think about about my main point then - should we ignore 'nice dog mate' comments about dogs with obvious faults or gently point them out? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 I dont know why you are so prickly about bull crosses.For the opposite reasons you are If you wish to gently point them out then fine, and i completely understand where you are coming from, its the people who are not so gentle, or the replys when someone takes offence at the gentle comments, and the subsequent arguments, leading to people not posting pics incase their dog gets ripped to bits. I suppose i am just too soft, i can feel the pride and love someone has for their dog when posting pics, i just personally could not be the person to deflate them. You see i know my dogs faults, i know one has the worst feet in the world, skin like tissue paper, and absolutley nothing whatsoever between the ears, but i also see the good points and know he will do whatever i ask of him regardless of these faults. If i take a nice piccie of him, what is the harm in someone saying "nice pic" if they agree. He is doing his job and i am not promoting him as the best nor am i breeding from him. Would it not be better if people posted "nice dog" if they believe it to be a nice dog, and not post if they dont? I'd hate for people not to post pictures for fear of riducule MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wickidweasel Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Exactly my point Moll i agree 100% but like your dog im lacking between the ears and couldnt put it into words Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ditch_Shitter Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 The dog may look like a donkeys arse but it could still be the guys pride n joy. Errr ..... For the record, mate; A REAL Donkeys Arse!!! Soon as I read that, I rushed out to my paddock ..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Lloyd 10,739 Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 :11: @Ditchshitter... I can understand where you are coming from Nightwalker BUT,...this is not a suitable medium to judge another man's running dog.. I've been privileged to examine several thousand lurcher's in my time,...and quite frankly, it would be cruel, and serve no real purpose to point out ,.'in public' the various physical shortcomings of a fellow member's dogs...And considering my own choice of a lurcher hybrid,... :11: I would be the first for the big drop!... Each to his own mate,..Bull cross to Borzoi, Bedlington to pot licking grass verger,..somebody loves em,..and that is what really matters...All the best to ALL crosses,..CHALKWARREN.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nightwalker Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 :11: @Ditchshitter... I can understand where you are coming from Nightwalker BUT,...this is not a suitable medium to judge another man's running dog.. I've been privileged to examine several thousand lurcher's in my time,...and quite frankly, it would be cruel, and serve no real purpose to point out ,.'in public' the various physical shortcomings of a fellow member's dogs...And considering my own choice of a lurcher hybrid,... :11: I would be the first for the big drop!... Each to his own mate,..Bull cross to Borzoi, Bedlington to pot licking grass verger,..somebody loves em,..and that is what really matters...All the best to ALL crosses,..CHALKWARREN.... Hi Phil, I guess you are right, people rarely thank you for publicly criticising their pride and joy! The 'nice dog mate' or 'good strong dog that' comments still irritate me though, when I can see real faults in the conformation. You and Molly have both very much made the point that beauty is in the eye of the holder, I accept that......to a limited extent, what I really love is a dog that combines both excellent working ability with perfect classic longdog conformation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wickidweasel Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Ditch Shitter stop that in this heat youve got me all excited :whistle: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.